Family & Maternity Photos

Well friends, I am at 31 weeks now and definitely feeling large and in charge.  Thankfully, we had one of our amazing friends take some pictures of our family and to document us waiting on baby brother.  Everything is happening so fast these days.  We leave on Sunday for "The Big City" again.  We will be there for 3 weeks then I will fly straight to our country's capital to wait on baby brother.  Thankfully, Matt and Harper will be joining me about a week later.  I think I will get a lot of shopping done for baby brother while I wait on Matt and Harper to meet me. ;)  Please remember us as our family transitions from a family of three to a family of four.

Many special thanks to my friend Carolyn McLaughlin for these pictures!

Experience a New Culture #3

Here are the promised videos.  I had to upload them to You Tube because they were too big to upload straight on the blog.  Here are the links.  Two of the videos are of some awesome drum skills and the longest video is of their amazing, fast, and upbeat dancing.  Notice their feet and how they dance on their knees.  Enjoy and come visit us so you can experience this culture for yourself! ;)



'A' people dancing

Drum Line #1

Drum Line #2

Experience a New Culture #2

In their dancing they are not supposed to ever touch.  Both the men and women dance on their toes at times.  It is a very upbeat and hard dance.  They are considered to be one of the oldest nations in the world.  They are an indigenous people and as you can see, warriors.  Harper correctly identified them as "princes and princesses."   She said she can't wait to go see the princesses dance again.  She loved the concert as much as we did!

Experience a New Culture #1

Living in another country provides you with the rich opportunity of exploring and learning from new cultures.  It is a unique opportunity and will give you a new worldview.  I would love to share just a taste of the culture where we live with you.  I will post pictures from an amazing dance concert that we attended a little over a month ago.  You will see our new culture dressed in traditional clothing, and I will also upload a video of their dancing for your enjoyment.  Their dancing will blow you away.  I loved getting a glimpse of their culture and even wish I saw more of it on the streets.  Enjoy!

The past 2 months

Here it is already, June 1st, and I realized that I haven't written a post in two months.  Our lives have been packed with interesting and exciting adventures, mishaps and various language miscommunications these past couple of months.  First, we traveled to another country to renew our visas.  We had an amazing time in "The Big City" as we call it.  We were able to visit friends, do some shopping, see some amazing tulips and parks, as well as, visit the doctor and find out that we are having a BOY!!!  We got our visas (and were delayed a few days, of course!) and have been back in our city since April 23rd.

Things are definitely busy and lively around here.  We have been working on potty training Harper.  It has it good days and hard days, as with anything in life!  We are getting new wallpaper in our apartment and preparing for baby brother's arrival.  I am already 29 weeks and can't believe how fast time is flying by, although I know it seems to drag at the end.  Our summer is filled with transition and traveling.  We have already spent our last night in the apartment before traveling and the new wallpaper.  One thing we have learned is that our new normal is living in constant transition.  It definitely reminds us that we cannot rely on our own strength, but that we must rely on Father's strength.  The city has definitely changed in appearance the past couple of months.  When we returned from renewing our visas, there was green grass, green trees, and flowers blooming.  The weather is wonderful and I have never loved spring so much in my life!  Our goal before all of our summer travels: to go camping with nationals.

Remember when:

* Harper got her haircut for around $4 and I got my haircut in a totally new language, but it turned out to be a success!
* We saw the most beautiful tulips in all the world.
* I went into a completely new culture shock when visiting "The Big City."  They have everything, even Gap and Sephora.
* We saw the most amazing dance concert (more to come in another post).
* I thought I was meeting our fruit and vegetable lady to pick up strawberries, but instead we went with her to pick strawberries in the village.  And buying 5 baskets was not enough so we bought 20 instead!
* I visited the doctor in our city.  Definitely not the same as in America.

Things we have learned in the past 5 months:

* Be flexible!
* Keep your expectations low.
* Living in transition is our new normal.
* Language learning is going to be a life long process.  We will never arrive.
* Great is His faithfulness.
* We can accomplish nothing without our Father.
* When we are stressed, get out in the culture.  Don't retreat.
* Don't complain, not even about the weather.
* Be thankful in all situations.
* The key to contentment is in our Father himself.  Our circumstances will constantly be changing, but our Father is the same yesterday, today, and forever!
* Our hearts have been too easily pleased by the comforts of this world.  This is still a struggle.
* Never forsake The Word and talking to our Father.  This is essential to our daily lives.
* Take it one day at a time.  I am never going to have it all together.

More to come.....